Baptists are too pro-gay?

The PlanetOut Network is reporting that the American Baptist Churches USA (the more liberal brother to the better known and larger Southern Baptist Convention) may split over a divide on how to handle homosexuality. Apparently, while gays and lesbians consider Baptists to be summarily anti-gay, this denomination isn't as focused on conducting church-sponsored discrimination.

Divisions over homosexuality that have embroiled several mainline Protestant denominations in the United States are now threatening to tear apart the American Baptist Churches USA, with leaders of hundreds of local churches announcing plans to secede from their national organization.

The denomination's Pacific Southwest Region released a statement Tuesday saying its board of directors had voted in favor of the split on Sept. 8 because the national organization had refused to declare homosexuality "incompatible with Christian Scripture."

The rift over homosexuality has also threatened the unity of other denominations, noted Susan Russell, the president of Integrity USA, an organization that supports full inclusion of LGBT people in the U.S Episcopal Church.

"I think it's sad and predictable that the same forces at work within the Episcopal, the Methodist and the Presbyterian churches to force polarization by scapegoating gays and lesbians are now going on within the American Baptist Church," she said.

The IRD makes no secret about its efforts to influence the United Methodist, Presbyterian and Episcopal Churches and its belief that sexual relations are only appropriate between married heterosexuals. According to the group's Web site, "We help church members battle for renewal within their denominations." The group also pledges to work "to see that our churches fulfill their proper role in defending marriage" and warns against following the "secular agenda of the Left instead of the timeless message of Jesus Christ."

Leave a comment

We want to know your opinion on this issue! While arguing about an opinion or idea is encouraged, personal attacks will not be tolerated. Please be respectful of others.

The editorial team will delete a comment that is off-topic, abusive, exceptionally incoherent, includes a slur or is soliciting and/or advertising. Repeated violations of the policy will result in revocation of your user account. Please keep in mind that this is our online home; ill-mannered house guests will be shown the door.

I grew up in a very liberal ABC church, and was very active in ABC regional leadership for about 10 years. This split has been growing for about 25 years. This fight isn't new; it's just now getting press.My old church is sticking with the ABC for now.

The ABC served on the 1992-93 LCCR committee that wrote the original ENDA. (I served on it until I was replaced with someone amenable to selling us out -- long story for another day.) They were what I would call titularly supportive of our civil rights -- that is, unless it affected them. In other words, they were the main force that pushed for a complete church exemption instead of relying on the tried and true formula used in enforcing the 1964 Civil Rights Act -- the First Amendment, which protects the rights of churches to discriminate in sacred activities but leaves those performing predominantly secular activities such as nurses in church-owned hospitals or the church's groundskeeper (or, for more properly constructed civil rights bills than the pitifully limited ENDA, being a patient receiving services [aka "public accommodation"] in a church-owned hospital or a renter of church-owned property) under the antidiscrimination protection of the law.In other words, with friends like these...By the way, one of the primary mover/shaker founders of the IRD is Indiana's own Sen. Patricia Miller, who deserves a monument or, better yet, her very own HomoHater's Hall of Shame.